Part 1 of this article explained why I think that Barisan Nasional is structurally incapable of reforming itself or of introducing reforms that may win it back some of the electoral support it lost in March 2008.

In this part, I will try to explain why I think that opposition needs to reform itself too, lest it finds itself in the same situation that the BN is currently in.

Before I begin to analyse the record of the Pakatan Rakyat governments in the states which they currently control, it is useful to step back and to examine the role of patronage and intra-party competition within the opposition and its effects on the electoral responsiveness of the opposition parties.

The two oldest opposition parties in Peninsular Malaysia, the DAP and PAS, have not been free from problems associated with intra-party factions and battles and perhaps from the dominating presence of one or two of the top leaders within its ranks. This is a normal occurrence in any social organisation, much less a political party.